


Last Time I Saw You

by VertigoReader101



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, BAMF Lance, Blood, Fluff, JuLance Challenge 2018, Minor Character Death, She was captured by galra, They have to fight in a ring, Veronica is scared, Veronica thinks he's corrupted, Veronica's point of view, Yelling, angry!Lance, it is totally platonic as well, keith saves the day, lots of blood but not graphic, monster dog, so was Lance, subtle klance if you want, takes place during s5, they have to fight each other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-11
Updated: 2018-07-11
Packaged: 2019-06-08 23:20:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15254298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VertigoReader101/pseuds/VertigoReader101
Summary: And he was staring right at her, blue eyes piercing into her soul, his face was void from emotions. He held his pistol like it was a friend, his shoulders back and determined. No sign of a smile or a lift in his eyes. He was a brick wall with no cracks and stood like a skyscraper.That wasn’t her brother.---Veronica is captured by the galra and is forced to watch innocent aliens fight each other to the death. That's when she sees the masked blue paladin. Five days in, she is forced to fight and her opponent is someone she has never thought to see face to face ever again.  And he seems so...changed.





	Last Time I Saw You

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place some time during season 5
> 
> I know that the reason Veronica is able to get into space has a lot of holes, but just accept it. It's fanfiction, not the actual show, cut me some slack.
> 
> And I was lucky enough to get this done during JuLance, so here you go!
> 
> Enjoy!

When sneaking onto a Garrison ship to get to Kerberos in the search of her brother, the last thing Veronica expected was getting captured by aliens who plan to torture her until she drops.

She wasn’t expecting a crowd of roaring, purple aliens cheering on a battle to the death that escapades down below in a ring of sand. It felt like weeks since she’s been here on who the heck knows where. But from the lines she carved on the wall in her cell, it only read four days. 

So far, all she got was an ugly outfit that uncomfortably clung to her form and lingering looks from the soldiers who escorted her everywhere. They also whisper about her right next to her as if she wasn’t right there. All she was able to catch was the word human a few times.

The first day she arrived, Veronica was thrown into a rotting cell that smelt like a combination of piss and barf. She was too scared to say anything, to scream in hopes that someone will come save her. 

She now was thankful that she didn’t. These aliens, who she learnt were galra, were a mixture of “I want to kill you” and “I want someone else to kill you”, both options were quite unappealing to Veronica. 

 

The second day, they brought her out, rather harshly might she add, inside an arena that had rows of chairs that dropped down like a waterfall and stopped right before a sudden drop. A large hole was dug out and only filled with light sand and walled with bricks, four large, wooden doors at either side of the dome. 

Galra were sitting tall in their seats with anticipation, cheering on the battle of aliens of different species being forced to kill each other. Veronica was too sick to watch the fight, so she fixed her gaze on the galra who were cheering on the battle. She had to stare at her chained hands instead as she tried to tune out the sickening cry of one of the opponents.

Day three was the same, the only difference was that she was a little bit more starving.

It was now day four and Veronica liked to entertain herself with picturing a day when she wouldn’t flinch each time she heard the shots of pistols. She sat high above the crowd so her view wasn’t that good of the ring, but she was glad that was the case. 

Her escort, Talork, sat tall and mighty right next to her, occasionally glancing at her to see if she’s trying to make any moves of escape. He could’ve been handsome if he didn’t look like he had a stick up his ass all the time.

“Quit staring, human.” Talork growled, yellow eyes threatening.

Veronica would’ve given him a piece of her mind if he wasn’t the one giving her food. So she bit her tongue and looked back into the ring. 

They had just gotten rid of the body of the opponent and the winner was unconscious and being carried over a galran’s shoulder, probably on the way to the medic. Probably. The commentator stepped into the ring, voice booming as it radiated throughout the arena.

“Ladies and gentlemen! Time for the moment you’ve all been waiting for!” The crowd roared. “The blue paladin!”

The whole stadium was erupted with a mix of screams of excitement and boos. The door to the right slowly lifted and out came what Veronica assumed was a man. He wore a mask of black fabric that hid his face that reminded her of a ski mask, and a shining white symbol on the forehead that looked like an upside down Y with a dot on the top, and holes cut for his eyes and mouth. He was wearing the same outfit as Veronica, a tight jumpsuit with a purple shirt on top.

Veronica had watched him fight on the first day she watched the fights, and the blue paladin was the last one to fight. He also wore the same mask, but she never understood why he was forced to wear it in the first place. She just assumed that he must be super famous with the galra, but not exactly in a good way.

The other doors opened and a roar of booing filled the arena. Out stepped a green creature that had scales covering it’s body up to it’s neck but stopped at the face, which was round and judging by it’s build, it looked like a male. His purple eyes showed fear and his entire posture looked like he was caving into himself. 

A loud horn aired and the fight was on. 

Neither moved at first, the green alien, Scales, she’ll call him, was quaking with nerves, the pistol shaking in his hand. The blue paladin looked calm with a relaxed posture and sturdy grip on his gun.

Scales started to run, sprinting right at Blue, fear evident on his face as Blue watched him drive closer and closer, not moving an inch. At the last second before Scales could lunge, Blue dodged and let Scales run into the wall. 

The fight continued like this, Scales running at Blue in an attempt to take him down, then Blue dodging at the last second with practiced ease. Eventually, Scales got tired of this and cocked his gun, slowly pointing it to aim at the masked man. 

A gunshot rung in the arena in an echo and suddenly it was quiet.

He missed.

The masked man was still standing at the exact spot, shoulders relaxed and gun hung loose in his hand. 

Scales shot again but missed.

The blue paladin continued to stand but shifted slightly so his weight was more on his left leg. He looked almost bored.

Seemed like the galra were bored as well by all the booing they did and the girl in front of Veronica shouting the word boring over and over.

The commentator’s voice rung in the arena again.

“Looks like this fight needs some excitement! Bring in obstacle number one!”

The crowds cheered and purple fists punched the air, their yelling almost deafening to her ears.

Suddenly, a flash of red shot out and barely missed the blue paladin, making him jump away. Another flash of red shot out into the arena, burning the sand where it was shot. Lasers. They were being continuously shot at the opponents as they ran as fast they could around the ring. 

Blue was dodging them so easily that he made it look like avoiding lasers from hitting him was his full time job. Scales on the other hand, was running in zig zags, body hunched and arms covering his head as he screamed for mercy.

Blue then seemed to be paying a lot of his attention to the brick walls of the ring. A laser was only a foot from missing him. He raised his pistol then shot a bullet of metal, the sound vibrating in the air. Something sparked electricity in the area that he shot at and no lasers were shooting from the area any longer.

He did this three more times until all lasers were destroyed. Veronica couldn’t help but notice it took only one shot to destroy each one.

Scales was up against the brick wall, curled in a ball with his arms covering protectively over his head. The alien peaked his head up from the sudden silence of the lasers and a look of astonishment dawned on his face. He was staring right up at the blue paladin, seemingly forgetting that they were supposed to kill each other.

The two opponents finally went back to chasing each other around as if the lasers didn’t even happen. And that’s when the galra became even more anxious from boredom. 

“That’s enough procrastinating!” The commentator announced, his voice loud and rough. “Time for the second installment of our obstacles!” The crowd cheered with excitement and began to stomp on the ground in a synchronized rhythm. 

A second door in the ring rumbled as it rose. The chains working were loud enough to be heard over the crowd and there was a faint huffing sound from behind the opening door. The blue paladin and Scales both stopped to watch the door open to only reveal darkness and the rotting stench of bones and garbage.

Veronica watched as a giant, dog-like creature came prowling out and into the ring, big nose sniffing the air. It’s body was covered in ragged black fur, and bloody eyes scanning it’s surrounding. It was the size of a transportation truck and a metal arm was adorned into its body. 

It’s roar shook the arena.

Then it was moving. And so were the two aliens.

It moved so fast that no one, not even the two aliens in the ring, had expected it to lung. It’s claw sunk into Scale’s legs, and when it lifted it’s paw, Scales went with it, sending a terrified scream that ricocheted through the arena. 

The dog flicked Scales off his nail like he was a piece of dirt and Scales fell right on top of Blue which sent them both sprawled on the ground.

A collected gasp chimed the air.

Veronica leaned forward, heart racing in her chest. She’s seen a lot those past few days, but never something so distorted. 

Scales was motionless as he laid on top of Blue, who was sitting himself up. Blue took Scales’ face in his hands and he seemed to be saying something to him. Suddenly, Blue swept his mask off his face and let it fall on the ground. 

From where she was, Veronica couldn’t see the details of his face, but she did know that he looked quite normal. For human standards anyway. He looked human and….familiar. 

Blue looked desperate as he smacked Scales face as if to keep him from falling unconscious. He hopelessly pressed his hand on Scales’ wounds and kept on shaking his own head in the inability to shake off reality.

Veronica felt her heart clench and stomach turn as she watched the desperate man cling to his dying opponent. She could feel prickles of tears forming in her eyes and she clenched her hands tight together to stop from shaking.

The dog was approaching the duo, Scales already dead in a useless heap. It’s steps were thunderous booms that shook the whole arena and Veronica had to steady herself from colliding into her escort. Blue slowly pushed Scales’ body to the side as the dog monster approached and steadily stood up. 

He was completely covered in blood that was not his own, red liquid that was thick like oil soaked through his clothes and splattered his face. From what she could tell, his face was set in stone, completely neutral as he stood, pistol drawn. 

The dog was only an inch from his face when he sniffed then suddenly drew back with a cry of distaste. The dog began to move backwards and then Blue was moving to the side to snatch the mask he once took off. He quickly covered it in the thick blood by smothering it all over his body. 

When the dog gave out a roar, Blue chucked the mask into it’s mouth, causing the dog to give out another roar. It coughed and gagged as it quickly retreated back into it’s haven.

Everyone was silent. 

Then there were screams filtering all throughout each part of the arena as Galra jumped from their seats and cried a victory that they never fought for. The commentator strided into the arena as the clicking chains from the door closed any contact from the defeated monster. 

Blue stood there, unmoving from his spot and the commentator rose his arm high in the air as the crowd cheered and booed even louder. A combination of foods and flowers and rotten garbage was being thrown into the ring, a tradition they had for every champion.

When Veronica turned her gaze away from the galra who were throwing anything they had, she caught his eyes. Blue eyes that she hadn’t noticed before, a softness to them but rough and clouded from the day’s events. His jaw was set and body stiff as numerous things came flying at him like asteroids. 

He was a soldier. A soldier who never missed a shot. A soldier who avoided hits like he was a wraith. Yet a soldier that cradled a dying man in his arms with hope falling loose on it’s chain. 

Someone so different yet so familiar.

(

* * *

)  
Veronica was shaking with fear as a pistol was shoved into her hand. Her ears were pounding from her sporadic heartbeat, and eyes blurry as she stared at the closed, wooden door in front of her. She didn’t comprehend the small shield that was shoved into her other hand. 

She gripped both items hard enough to cause her hands to turn white. The sand beneath her feet felt like it was going to swallow Veronica whole and she found herself welcoming the action that sadly didn’t come. 

“Human.” A soldier said right next to her, causing her to jump. “Pay attention. All you gotta do is attack and deflect, nothing hard. Don’t be chickening out, because if you do, there is no avoiding death.”

Veronica quickly nodded as she stared up at the tall galra who looked very unpleased. He then turned and walked away to crank the lever that opens the door. The chains were much louder up close and she felt her ears wince from each crack. 

Veronica held her breath as the crowd of galra made a combination of cheers and booing, stomping their feet on the ground in excitement. She felt paralyzed as she looked up into the arena, golden eyes watching her every move as if targeting her so they could shoot.

Someone shoved her into the ring and she stumbled before standing her ground. The cracking of the chains sounded again and she turned to watch the galra closing the door. Her heart leaped out of her chest and she was about to run when Veronica saw a line of galra in the way of her escape.

“Ladies and gentlemen!” She quickly turned to the voice that rung above her to only see the commentator. “We have a new contestant of the human species that we are very excited to share with you today!” The crowd roared. “We have decided that what better way to welcome a human then to introduce them to the one and only…. the blue paladin!”

That was when her heart officially stopped. Veronica couldn’t breathe and her ears were crowded by the crowd and the chains that were muffling her hearing. She couldn’t focus on anything happening around her because she knew it was the end. 

Veronica was going to die.

Any kind of hope that she was going to get out of this alive had completely vanished and fear had fully taken its place. She closed her eyes and breathed in a deep breath and let it out slow, she kept doing this until the doors were completely open. She had watched him fight the day before and she knew he was an experienced fighter. She opened her eyes.

Veronica gasped.

Standing at the door was the familiar face. The face that belonged to the person who she played dress up with. The person who cried on her shoulder. The person who talked of space like it was a god. The person who left her and her family without a word.

“Lance?” She said in an astonished whisper.

And he was staring right at her, blue eyes piercing into her soul, his face was void from emotions. He held his pistol like it was a friend, his shoulders back and determined. No sign of a smile or a lift in his eyes. He was a brick wall with no cracks and stood like a skyscraper.

That wasn’t her brother.

Veronica felt her nose sting and her eyes well up with tears as she watched her brother look at her like they were strangers. What happened to him?

“You may notice that he is not wearing his mask of weakness, but we felt it was necessary for his own species to see the man that failed them.” The commentator’s voice was filled with a smirk. “Blue paladin. I want you to watch your own species run away with fear and resentment from your own weakness. The all mighty blue paladin of Voltron has fallen, and I can’t wait until you break.”

Veronica watched him, eyes flickering to any point of his face and body that could show any sign of a twitch. She knew Lance like the back of her hand, but watching him do absolutely nothing as he kept his gaze steady on her own eyes, she realized she didn’t know him at all.

The horn aired and the fight began.

Lance gripped his pistol and steadied his body into a fighting position and Veronica scrambled to match him. They both didn’t move for a moment, both watching and waiting for any movement. Suddenly, Lance gestured his head to the side. 

Veronica furrowed her brows with confusion and watched as he did it again. Then his hand was slowly moving up, the same hand that held the pistol, and it was pointing right at her. He did the gesture again, and this time she knew what was happening.

Veronica leaped to the side and landed on the sand where he gestured and a bullet raced through were she once stood. She scrambled onto her feet and whipped her gaze from where the bullet is now wedged in the door and to her brother who still had his arm held up.

She was still as he turned his arm to face her. Then she was running. Veronica desperately ran, pushing her legs as hard as she could and sprinted along the brick wall. As she ran, bullets followed her one by one, some shooting in front of her and barely missing.

Veronica’s lungs were burning as she continued to run away from her brother’s fire. She kept on glancing towards him as he turned his body to continue shooting. The bellowing crowd was muffled as she ran away terrified like a scared puppy, arms pumping and breaths shallow.

Legs burning, she found herself slowing down and the shots were getting closer to her body. One shot just an inch from her stomach, one by her legs, the other by her chest, then one past her forehead.

He’s going to kill me.

She snook another glance at Lance and saw that no emotion except from his slight frown and furrowed eyebrows from focus. His eyes were steady as he pulled the trigger over and over again, a ray of never ending bullets almost grazing her skin. She realized he didn’t have a shield. Because he didn’t need a shield, she thought.

Her arms felt tired from running with the pistol and shield in her hands and as she looked down at the round piece of metal in her hand, she realized what to do. Veronica lifted the shield so it covered her side and right when she did, a bullets wedged itself into the metal. It was almost like Lance knew that she was going to do that.

Looking up at him, she saw a faint lift of his lips as if proud that she remembered her shield. His blue eyes sparked and Veronica found herself smiling. Maybe he wasn’t as corrupted as she thought.

“Shall we start another obstacle?!” The commentator shouted, receiving cheers from the crowd.

Lance stopped shooting and was looking around the rings to see what might happen. Veronica, however, had her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath, chest heaving and throat aching from exhaustion. She really shouldn’t have stopped running after high school.

Suddenly, the ground beneath them was quaking and the duo had to sturdy themselves from falling. The outer brick wall started to move, getting closer and closer, bringing the sand with it. Veronica began to jog backwards as it came closer and sand sprayed up into the air.

Eventually, the wall stopped and the sand began to settle, leaving the ring to be half the size it used to be. Veronica took a shaky breath then turned around. Lance was standing just an arms length away from her, body turned to the side as he gazed at the new sand hills. 

Lance then turned towards her and she couldn’t help but notice that he was about an inch or more taller than her now. His frame was more wide and muscular, his jaw slightly more framed and his hair longer and shaggy. A small, thin scar trailed up his chin and another one down his left temple. They looked like spidery cracks on glass.  
She watched as his chest rose and fall. Then he was on her, sending both of them on the sand and rolling up a small hill. Veronica yelped as she desperately flailed her feet since he was hold her arms to her sides. 

“Hey!” Veronica shouted, trying to twist her body away from his hold and her pistol and shield long gone. “Get off of me.”

His hold was strong, much stronger than before he left and they used to wrestle each other. He soon loosened his hold and Veronica was able to bring her feet to his chest and push him off. He stumbled to his back and sat up to stare at her with wide eyes. 

Turning, she scrambled up the hill, pushing herself up the sand with her hands, feet casually slipping from underneath her. A push to the back sent her whole body on the sand and she hastily turned around. 

Lance stood, stiffly hovering over her, pistol aimed right for her head. Veronica’s breath caught in her throat and stared up at her brother with wide, scared eyes. She clenched the sand beneath her making it crunch under her terrified hold. 

Her own brother was going to kill her. She should’ve known he was corrupted, that the past three years of his absence, he would harden in a place like this. He was not himself and he was about to pull the trigger.

Tears welled up in her eyes and they were hot as they rolled down her cheeks. Soon, her vision was completely blurred and she was shaking as she held in a rack of sobs. Her brother was good as dead as she was..

She heard the trigger be pulled.

Veronica winced and prepared for the blow, but there was none. She blinked back some tears so she could see better. Lance was methodically pulling the trigger over and over again and no bullet shot out. It was empty.

Lance’s body visibly relaxed and he let out a sigh of relief. He then tossed the gun to the side and it slid across the sand. The booing of the crowd was loud and garring, insults being thrown all around them.

Veronica sniffed and laid uselessly as he stared back down at her.

“That was disappointing!” Yelled the commentator. “Time for the usual second obstacle! Who’s with me?!” Screams of agreement followed him.

There was a click of chains.

Lance was now on her, grip secure as he rolled them both back to the middle. Veronica couldn’t find any strength in her to fight back, to scream or resist. She let him roll them down the hill as she helplessly thought of ways to get her brother back. 

They finally stopped and he loosened his grip. He then leaned into her ear and said: 

“Shoot me.”

Veronica almost choked. “What?”

“Your pistol is to your left. Shoot me in the leg.” His voice was calm but stern.

Veronica looked over to her left and saw her pistol laying on the ground an arms length away and loaded with bullets. It was as if he brought them over there on purpose.

“There is no way I’m going to shoot you. What the hell is your plan?”

Lance put a hand to cover her neck and she felt him slightly squeeze but not enough to hurt.

“Listen.” He whispered into her ear. “Can you trust me?” 

She glared at him.

“Fair point.” He shrugged. “Just act like you are choking and shoot me in the leg. I’ll be okay, promise.” 

Hesitantly, she started to fake wheeze and slowly reached for the gun. She held it firm in her grip and steadied it to aim for his thigh. The cranking from the door continued on.

With a shaky breath, Veronica pulled the trigger.

Lance cried out in pain, then let go of her neck and panic filled her chest. After a moment of panting, Lance reached out to his wound and a coat of blood stuck to his hand.

The clanking of chains stopped.

He then brought his red covered hand towards her face and she instinctively moved her head as far away from Lance’s hand as possible, face scrunched up in disgust. The copper scented blood slicked all over her face and she glared daggers at her brother who paid her no mind. He then added his own blood to his face as stripes on his cheeks. Of course he’d make himself look cooler. 

The ground then shook, causing them to turn to see the same dog as before walk out of it’s cage. It was heavily panting and it’s red eyes glowed as they aim at Veronica and her brother. Drool drept from it’s mouth and landed on the sand with splatters, making the sand soaking wet with saliva. 

Next to her, Lance began to stand up, careful not to lean on his bad leg. Blood stained the sand red and Veronica had to force herself not to look at it. Instead, she focused on how Lance grabbed her arm and began pulling her to her feet. 

He lead them to slowly step backwards and away from the ferocious dog, hand still gripping her arm. Lance tugged her closer when the dog took a thunderous step towards them. 

Lance leaned in, eyes still on the creature. “Run.”

Veronica did what she was told and turned around to sprint away from the beast with fear seeping into her bones. She turned her head around when she didn’t notice Lance beside her. He was running towards the beast then swooped down low to grab her pistol. The dog was now chasing him as Lance ran the opposite direction and to his sister.

Lance caught up to her and gripped her arm again as he pulled her along, and she could feel her heart rip itself out side of her chest each time she fumbled from the sand. The dog creature was chasing them, barking with huffs and saliva flying through the air and landing like bombs.

Lance then abruptly stopped and Veronica bumped into his side with a huff. Lance turned to face the beast, pulling Veronica to be behind him. The dog continued to barrel towards them, growling with anger and ears sent back. 

The dog skidded to a stop and slid on the sand before he could break. Veronica held her breath as the dog steadily got closer and held onto the wrist of her brother which is the hand with the gun. Holding her eyes closed tight, she waited for impact and the gawing of teeth to sink into her body. 

A huff from the dog sent wind to blow her hair and she proceeded to cower behind her brother. Peaking her one eye open she saw that the dog’s nose was only an inch away from her brother’s hand, which he was reaching out and soaking in fresh blood.

“What are you doing?!” Veronica hissed under her breath.

In response, Lance quietly hushed her as he continued to slowly reach his blood cover hand closer to the dog’s snout. The creature sniffed and visibly winced, letting out a low growl. Lance then quickly swiped his hand across the dog’s snout making the dog draw back and began to thrash it’s head as if that’ll get rid of the blood. It’s roar filled the arena along with the roars from the crowd. Then there was a gunshot, which made Veronica jump.

Lance was pulling the trigger one by one as they shot all throughout the creature’s body making it cry out in pain. The more bullets pelting it’s skin, the more angry it got and with a growly, it’s crimson eyes set on her brother and began charging. 

Bullets ripped at it’s legs and chest as it ran, some hitting at the cheeks and jaw. The dog did not falter which made Lance falter in his shots, so Lance grabbed Veronica and they began to run. Lance occasionally looked back to take another shot, but the dog did not stop.

Veronica couldn’t breathe as she was dragged along the sand, cursing herself each time she fumbled. The pounding booms of the dog chasing them sent tendrils of fear and anger through her bones.

How dare the galra steal her brother away from their family and corrupt him into a murder. How dare the galra find enjoyment in their suffering and anguish. Veronica moved faster, anger pumping into her veins as she glanced to the stranger beside her.

His eyes were hard set and mouth permanent in a frown. He was barely out of breath despite Veronica desperately trying to find her own. This man became a soldier in the time being captured by the galra. So many years of thinking he was dead, but all what was dead about him was his mind. 

Lance was gone and replaced by a warrior set on doing anything to survive. Sure, he might have been trying to save her this whole time, but what if he was only doing this to give the galra a show? He could be dragging her to safety only to save his own skin so the galra won’t get bored of him thus killing him. 

This man was not to be trusted.

Then there was a wail. A soaring cry shrilling it’s way up the beast’s throat. 

The stomping of the dog vanished and Veronica took the risk of stopping to turn around, which was exactly what Lance was thinking since he did the same. The dog was thrashing it’s head but now even more violently and it was now whimpering. 

Veronica’s eyes widened when she spotted someone standing on the dog’s neck, dressed in black with a hood and mask covering their face. And he was holding a dagger that was embedded into the throat of the creature.

The mysterious person then yanked the dagger out of it’s throat then lunged for the other side of the dog’s throat and did the same thing. It earned a great howl from the dog and Veronica took a step back from instinct. The person then swiftly moved to the very top of the beast’s throat, and suddenly the dagger transformed into a double edged sword with a flash of light, then they drove it into the flesh.

Any hope of surviving this was destroyed.

Veronica frantically looked over to Lance expecting the same fear stricken emotions she must have been wearing just then. She drew back when she saw the exact opposite and a beaming smile to match. His eyes were bright as he watched the stranger continue to insert holes in the body of the dog and a sparkle of hope fluttered in his blue eyes.

The dog caused a loud boom when it fell, causing the arena to shake. It laid limp on the sand, no sign of breathing as it stayed still, the person standing tall and victorious on it’s corpse. Then there was a roar, none other than the dog, but the roar of a lion. 

The recent silence of the crowd then was destroyed by the sudden up cry. Lasers of purple then shot out to aim for the death of the mysterious intruder, some galra even jumping into the ring to get closer. 

The intruder paid them no mind, however, as they jumped off the beast with grace and dodged the flying lasers with ease. They then took some sort of equipment that was red and white and sculpted into a sort-of-circle. Running from the firing shots, they flug the item to the direction of Veronica and she flinched when it got too close.

She then watched as her brother easily caught it in the air and the item began to glow. Suddenly, there was a red and white gun, tucked snug in his hands. A smirk gleamed on his face and then he was shooting.

Everything became a blur of lasers ranging from purple to blue and her brother dragging her away from the crossfire. The masked intruder was ahead of them, slashing and hacking away at anyone who stood in their way. Blood sprayed the walls and covered the floor, the loud sirens filtered throughout every hallway they turned. 

She was pushed between the two men as they fought and yelled at each other, but she couldn’t fully comprehend what they were saying.

“Red is just at the end of the next hallway!” The masked person yelled out.

“Lead the way, Mullet!” Lance cheered before blasting they head off a robot.

They were still running and Veronica kept her head down low as lasers shot by and her heart pounded.

They then turned the corner and Veronica tripped when she saw a huge lion’s head sticking out of the wall which had cracks running through it like spiderwebs. Debris scattered the floor and Lance had to push her to keep running. 

The lion’s mouth then slowly opened and let out a walkway which they all climbed. The mouth closed behind them and everything was quiet except for the patter of their feet. Veronica slowly followed them, completely out of breath and brain whirling with questions. 

She got into the cockpit right when the masked person had a hand on Lance’s shoulder. 

“How about I fly. You can start patching up your leg” Lance blinked at this, seemingly forgotten that his leg was injured in the first place, so he nodded.

The masked person then took a seat and they were moving, Veronica had to steady herself from not falling from how fast they were going.

“Heading to the castle now.” The person said out loud. “Coran, can you prepare a pod for Lance?”

Veronica looked around, expecting this Coran to pop out of somewhere and answer, but none came. The masked person then began to start reassuring people she couldn’t hear that ‘yes, he is okay’. Shaking her head, she decided this was the least of her worries and turned to Lance. He has sitting on the side, back against the metal and a small first aid kit at his side.

Blood was already slowly pooling on the floor, but he didn’t look worried as he took out the gauze and began unravelling it. Veronica could only stand and stupidly watched as he did so. 

“Hey, Mullet.” Lance said, steadily wrapping the gauze around where Veronica shot him. “Why’d you all take so damn long?”

“It was only about a week, you made it out just fine.” Mullet responded with.

Lance rolled his eyes. “A week and a half,” Lance emphasised. “That’s a long time.”

“And Shiro was there for a year, so stop complaining.” There was a huff from Lance then a moment of silence. “It took longer than we expected to find the ship you were on. You’re lucky that we were able to find you. There were too many galra in the ship so they only sent me out.”

She turned her gaze to her brother who held his face neutral. “Space is a big place. Thanks for getting me out of there.” Lance said in a small voice, gaze set on his leg.

There was a grunt from the seat. “You would do the same, Lance.”

A small smile grazed her brother’s face.

“Hey, Keith?” Said boy grunted. “You know what I’ve learned when I was gone?”

“What, Lance?” 

“Did you know that I look amazing with scars. Super edgy, am I right?”

“Sure, Lance.”

“You didn’t even look at me.” Lance scowled.

“Don’t have to.” Keith grumbled.

There was another string of silence and Veronica began fidgeting because Lance was having a kind of casual conversation with this person as if they knew each other for a long time. They were teasing each other like old friends and Veronica briefly wondered if this Keith guy used to be captured by the galra as well. 

And seeing Lance interact with Keith made her realize that all this time she was wrong. Lance was not corrupted, he just grew a new spine and learned his way through the world. Lance was still the Lance she remembered but only with new plants to water.

When it was evident that their conversation ended, Veronica moved forward. Lance flinch and stared up at her like he forgot she was there. Guilt flooded his features.

“I’m so sorry, Veronica.” He whispered, curling into himself and tears welling in his eyes.

Said girl shook her head and she could feel her own tears threaten to escape. “Why are you sorry? It’s not your fault that you were captured by the galra.”

Lance then gave her a confused look then his mouth form an O. He patted the spot next to him and didn’t began talking until she settled.

“I should probably tell you how this all started, huh?” His gaze was set on his fingers which he was rubbing dried blood off of them.

He then gave off a long, drawn out sigh. “How about I just generally tell you what’s happening and I can tell you more details after?”

Veronica nodded.

“Long story short, Hunk, Pidge, Keith and I saved Shiro, found the blue lion, met two aliens and became the defenders of the universe. The galra who captured both of us are evil, but there are a lot of good ones out there too. It is up to team Voltron to defeat the galra emperor, Zarkon, and bring peace to the universe and blah blah blah.”

Veronica stared wide eyed as he turned to face her.

“Did you understand any of that?”

Veronica shook her head. Lance let a soft smile graze his face.

“Don’t worry, I’ll go deeper into it later. Keith, how long until we reach the castle?”

“Two minutes.”

Lance nodded, though Keith couldn’t see him.

“Now,” he turned back to her. “Let’s talk about the real problem. Why the hell are you in space?! And you’re not hurt, are you?!” He looked scared and angry.

Veronica blinked in surprise. 

“Hey! That’s no fair! You barely told me why you are in space and now you are yelling at me?!”

 

“Yes!” He exclaimed, hands waving in the air. “At least I know why I’m here and how it actually makes sense! You aren’t a pilot or anything, how the hell did you end up being captured by the-” Then he froze.

His eyes were wide and dripping with fear. “Veronica.” He said in a small, cautious voice. “Are they on Earth?”

Veronica shook her head fast enough to make her dizzy. “No, no no no, Earth is okay, from what I know. I...um.”

She then looked away from his desperate eyes and rubbed her arm.

“I may or may not have snuck into a Garrison ship that flew to Kerberos in the hopes of finding you.”

There was a snort coming from the chair but Keith didn’t say anything. He could probably feel the death glare that Lance was sending him.

“You what?” Lance growled, eyes narrowed. “How did you even accomplish that without being caught?”

Veronica shrugged. “All the years hiding from mama probably.”

Lance let out a huff and looked at her in disbelief. He slowly shook his head. “You’re insane.” 

Another snort came from Keith.

“What are you laughing at, Mullet?!”

He turned around to face them and Veronica was shocked to see that he was human. His smile was small but genuine as he tried to contain his laughter.

“I’m just thinking how she’ll get along with Pidge.”

Lance’s eyes widened at that. “They will be a force to be reckoned with, for sure.”

The two boys then shared an amused smile and Veronica couldn’t help but smile as well. Lance was safe and had people who cared for him and got him out of danger. All that time worrying was for nothing, now that Veronica knew that Lance was happy and stronger than she’ll ever be.

“We’re here.” Keith announced. 

Veronica stood up and walked to the window that showed the black expanse of space and a white and pearly ship that was shaped like a castle. It was huge as they steadily approached and Veronica couldn’t help but openly gape in awe.

“Now we just gotta figure out a way to get you home.” Lance said, casually, as if Veronica wasn’t just going to yell at him.

So she did. She yelled at him. “What do you mean?! I’m not going home and leaving you here in a war with aliens!”

Instead of yelling back like what she expected, he let out a long, tired sigh. “Listen, V, you aren’t capable to be here in a war.”

 

“To be fair, Matt stayed.”

“Shut up, Keith, that’s different. Matt joined the rebel group and trained with them for months.”

“I can train too! I can fight for myself.” Veronica countered, starting to get angry.

“I know you can, V-”

“Is it because I’m a girl!?” She took a step forward.

“What? No. The strongest person I know is princess Allura. I mean, she is alien, so the situation is different, but she is a woman no less. And Pidge is super strong as well.”

“Then why? Why won’t you let me fight with you?”

 

“It doesn’t matter. You’re going back to Earth and that’s that. Keith,” The boy jumped at his name. “Have we landed?”

“Yeah.”

Lance nodded, then began to push himself up, careful not to lean on his injured leg. Keith stood up and walked over to Lance to help him, putting his arm around Lance’s waist.

“No, no, no you don’t.” Veronica was fuming. “Since when were you mister high and mighty, huh?”

“Veronica, not now.” He replied, tiredly. 

“Lance, what’s so wrong with me joining you?”

Lance stopped walking, his side facing her. “You’re not just joining me. You’re joining Keith, Pidge, Hunk, Shiro, Allura, Coran, the Olkari, the Aursians, the Blade of Marmora, and the rest of the universe. You will be another person responsible for the fall of the galra empire and to save planets and aliens from death and slavery. You will be fighting for everything and everyone in this whole universe. Do you want that weight on your shoulders?”

Veronica’s frown deepened. 

“I’m willing to fight in this war with everything that it takes.”

“IT’S A WAR!” Veronica and even Keith flinched when he screamed. 

“You just said it yourself, Veronica! It’s a quiznacking war! This is not child's play anymore!” He then moved to fully face her, eyes narrowed threatenly. “You are supposed to get married and have children and be happy with the only worry being your bills!” He took a step forward.

“In war, you suffer from watching other innocent people suffer and lose hope. You have to deal with the consequences of making the wrong move and try not to think about it or else you’ll make a bigger mistake! You have to deal with waking up in the middle of the night because of constant nightmares! You have to deal with the fact that you might never get home!”

Veronica didn’t notice her tears until one dropped on the metal floor and made a quiet sound as it did.

Lance seemed to deflate as he watched her terrified expression as tears continued to roll down her cheeks. She was shaking and let out a quiet sob. She was being selfish and completely stupid to the reality of the situation. Lance was right, war was something not to be dealt with and to openly fling yourself to when you are not ready. She wasn’t right for war, especially one with aliens that are most likely more powerful than any human being alone could be.

She was just a naive girl who wanted her brother back and to make sure that he was okay. She might have thought he was okay not to long ago, but what he just said broke her heart. He was not okay, but seeing Keith’s reassuring hand on his shoulder made her realize that maybe even Lance was wrong about a few things.

They weren’t individually responsible for the entire universe, they were all one family and a force that could never be deterred. They were a family that made sure that each other were okay. Knowing that made Veronica feel some comfort.

“Keith,” Lance whispered. “Can you-”

“I’ll tell the team you need time to catch up.”

Lance gave him a weak smile and watched Keith leave the lion.

“I’m...I’m sorry.” Veronica said. “I’m not meant for war. But neither are you.”

Lance opened his mouth to protest but she interrupted him before he could speak.

“And neither is anyone else, even if they are an alien. But...you have a family here and I trust them since you’re not dead yet.” She gave him a weak smirk.

“You’ve grown and matured, I can tell, and I am no one to force something on you. I know you’re just trying to protect me, hermano.

He smiled at the name and walked towards her to wrap her in a hug.

“Thank you for understanding, hermana.” He squeezed her.

“Just do me a favour and kick galra butt, okay? Especially, Talork.”

Lance leaned back and gave her a confused smile. “Who’s Talork?”

“My escort.”

Lance snorted. “You have my word.”

They continued to hug and Veronica buried her head into his neck.

“I’m sorry.” He whispered into her hair.

“Why?”

“For leaving without saying anything. There wasn’t any way to get back to Earth, even for an hour because we couldn’t risk the galra following us and concurring Earth. I could’ve found some way to go on my own and make sure our families know we were okay.”

“It’s not your fault.”

 

“I know, I just….I missed you all so much and I can’t bare to never see all of you ever again. Just to think that you all were told that I was probably dead. I can’t deal with that.” He squeezed her tighter.

Veronica began to rub his back in relaxing gestures. “Lucky for you, I’m going back to Earth and I am going to tell everyone’s families that you are all okay. I’ll tell them everything you want me to, okay?”

She could feel him nod. After a few more moments of hugging, Lance finally stepped back.

“I don’t like ruining moments, but I’m pretty dizzy right now, so can we go to the med bay now?”

Veronica blinked then looked down to his leg, the gauze soaked in blood.

“Oh, crap, yeah, we, uh, should probably do that.” Then she wrapped around his body and helped him out of the lion. Wait.

“Why were we in a lion just now?”

Lance chuckled. “That’s red, we all pilot different lions to form Voltron.”

When she just blinked back in response, confusion lightly her features, he let out another laugh.

“Long story short, I’m cooler than you.”

Veronica slapped him, earning a yell from her brother.

“I can’t believe you’re still a nerd.

“A nerd with a magical, robotic lion and is way hotter than you’ll ever be.”

Veronica hit him again.

Yup, still the same Lance that she remembered.

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**Author's Note:**

> Sorry if it seemed to move fast at the end there, I didn't want to continue any farther and make this longer than I wanted it to.   
> I love comments and kudos are always great. I hope you liked this story since I have a lot of plans coming up!
> 
> [My Tumblr](https://vertigoreader.tumblr.com/)


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